Pinned by a Demon, Tea with Elves
Something heavy was crushing my chest, jolting me awake. It was Verat. The guy who'd crashed at the far end of the nest last night had somehow crawled right up next to me, wrapping his arm around me like a vice. His face was even buried in my shoulder.
I gently pried Verat's arm off and rolled toward Prostia to slip free. He mumbled something, but he didn't wake up.
I shuffled to the edge of the nest and released my polymorph. As my wings unfurled, a rush of wind poured over me. Riding the air currents, I didn't even need to flap— the breeze just carried me effortlessly.
This is the life.
I soared aimlessly for a good while, spiraling up along the World Tree's trunk before veering south. The wind whistled straight through my feathers.
Feels damn good.
How much time passed? Eventually...
...I'm hungry.
I half-folded my wings, dropping altitude as I scanned below. Something stirred at the forest's edge—a pack of horned wolves. Thick antler-like horns protruded from their foreheads, and the leader's were especially massive and long.
...That one.
It reminded me of Turaka horns.
Wonder if it's similar.
I tucked my wings tight against my back and plummeted straight down. The ground rushed up, and I saw the lead wolf snap its head toward me. Our eyes locked.
BOOM!
My talons smashed right into its skull, cratering the earth. A single mighty flap sent a gale ripping through, shaking the surrounding trees. The rest of the pack scattered without a backward glance.
I pinned one horn with my claw, snapped it off, and crunched it in my beak. Crunch—just bone. No mana at all. I spat it out mid-chew.
All that hype for nothing.
I ripped into its flank with my beak, tearing off a hunk of meat. Thick fat oozed out—hearty stuff. Not quite Turaka, but decent eating. I tore into it until only bones remained.
With my belly full, I glanced around. A bit farther, and I'd hit the World Tree roots.
...The Elf Kingdom's close.
Kaelion's face popped into my head.
Since I'm nearby, might as well say hi.
I spread my wings and shot upward.
A white table sat in the garden behind the Royal Palace. Kaelion was in the middle of pouring tea into his wife's cup. Steam rose lazily from the hot liquid.
...Haven't seen that face in months.
Riandrea, seated across from him, twirled the handle of her cup delicately with her fingertips.
"The air feels different back home. The Empire was a bit stifling."
Silver hair cascaded over her shoulders. Faint traces of fatigue lingered on her face after months away.
Kaelion poured tea into his own cup.
"You worked hard."
"Hard? You're the one holding down the palace—that's the real job."
Riandrea let out a short laugh. The tension in her hands on the table eased a little.
They sipped in silence for a while before Riandrea spoke first.
"So, where's that person from your letter?"
"Still living at the top of the World Tree."
"The one sent by the gods, just napping in a nest? I must've reread that part a dozen times."
"...You'll understand once you meet him."
Riandrea glanced at her husband, her expression hinting she'd caught the unspoken details in his letter. Fortunately, she didn't press.
"I'd like to meet him sometime."
"You'll get the chance naturally..."
Kaelion trailed off, taking a sip of tea. At that moment, the air above them rippled once.
I dropped altitude as I entered the city airspace. Someone in the plaza looked up, grabbed their companion's arm. The reaction spread like a wave, the whole place buzzing in an instant—people dropping to their knees, calling to friends, or just staring blankly skyward.
Oh, nice—they recognize me.
I gave a big flap and veered toward the city center, hooking my talons onto the palace spire. From here, the whole kingdom unfolded below: corridors radiating from the central building, inner gardens, the city beyond the walls.
They built this well.
People scurried inside the palace—knights dashing down halls, ministers frozen at windows staring out. The commotion peaked, then slowly died down. But Kaelion wasn't there.
I turned toward the garden. Behind the palace wall sat a white table, Kaelion side-by-side with an elf I'd never seen. Long silver hair flowed down her back. I'd never seen Kaelion look that relaxed before—he was always so stiff.
I'm here, so I should at least say hello.
I cast polymorph and stepped off the spire top. As I plummeted, both looked up. Kaelion shoved his chair back and shot to his feet; the silver-haired elf started to rise but froze.
I gathered wind mana at my fingertips above the garden, cushioning my fall with an updraft. My robe billowed once in the flow before my bare feet touched the grass.
"Hey."
Kaelion exhaled sharply, eyeing me. His face, braced for disaster, relaxed back to normal.
"...Lord Nox. Could you perhaps arrive a bit more... ordinarily next time?"
"Ordinarily?"
"My wife gets startled."
The silver-haired elf let out a short breath, pressing her temple with a fingertip.
Lately, everyone's got headaches.
"What're you up to?"
"...Having tea with my wife."
"Wife? So you're the queen? First time seeing you."
The silver-haired elf bowed her head deeply and gracefully. Long, serene eyes, pale turquoise dress. She matched Kaelion's vibe but softer.
"...It's an honor to meet you, Lord Nox. I am Riandrea, Queen of the Elf Kingdom."
Her voice trembled slightly, but she steadied her breath and lifted her head.
"Yeah, hey Riandrea."
Riandrea's eyes flickered once before she composed herself.
"Mind if I have some tea too?"
"...Of course."
Maids hurried over, setting an empty cup on the table. Riandrea sat back down, lightly tapping her husband's arm with a finger. Kaelion returned to his seat as well.
I took a sip. Tasty.
Riandrea added cautiously,
"It's brewed from leaves we got from the Empire. A variety that doesn't grow here."
"Empire?"
"The Verdan Empire, the human empire to the northwest."
As I sipped more, Riandrea picked up her cup again, watching me. Kaelion spoke up.
"There's something you might want to know, Lord Nox."
Kaelion glanced at his wife. She met his eyes and gave a small nod.
"A delegation from the Verdan Empire will visit in a few months. We've had a long-standing regular trade for the Life Water in the palace basement. I went to the Empire first this time to set the schedule."
"Humans coming all the way here?"
"Yes. They've always come to us before, but this is the first time we proposed it."
"What's Life Water?"
"Sap from the World Tree roots. It boosts mana capacity, so the Empire's knight orders buy a lot."
I sipped and eyed Kaelion.
Come to think of it...
"I heard from Michael about a hero candidate being born. Know which country?"
Kaelion quietly set his cup down.
"...Rumors are circulating, but we haven't confirmed the exact nation yet."
...He doesn't know either.
Silence fell over the garden. Kaelion ventured carefully,
"...Since you're here, why not stay for a meal?"
"Sure. Meat-heavy."
Kaelion glanced at an attendant, who bowed and withdrew.
We sat sipping tea as a trio. Kaelion droned on about kingdom updates; I half-tuned out. Riandrea occasionally summarized his points.
The attendant returned and bowed.
"Dinner is ready."
We moved to an inner dining hall. Roasted meat dominated the table's center, flanked by sides. One bite: crispy exterior, juices bursting inside.
Oh.
Kaelion sat across, Riandrea beside me. We ate in silence for a bit. Kaelion held his fork but spent more time staring at me than his food. Midway, Riandrea silently added meat to his plate. Only then did his fork move.
I looked up after a while. The delegation talk resurfaced.
"That delegation—humans coming in person, right?"
"Yes. Empire nobles with knight escorts."
"What's the human lands like?"
Kaelion set his fork down.
"Very different from us elves. Humans are split into many nations: major powers in the west and east, surrounded by smaller states."
"Major powers?"
"West is the Verdan Empire I mentioned—huge knight orders, military dominance over neighbors. East is the Canaria Kingdom, focused on maritime trade."
"Food?"
Kaelion paused, then continued.
"Empire excels in meat dishes; Canaria in seafood."
Riandrea added quietly,
"The Empire has diverse spices hard to get here. I brought some back besides the tea leaves..."
Chewing meat, I pictured it: Empire west with meats and spices, Canaria east with seafood.
...Gotta visit someday.
Kaelion watched me quietly.
"Kaelion."
"...Yes."
"The Empire knows all about beast contracts, right?"
Kaelion's fork halted.
"...Where did you hear that?"
"Michael told me."
Kaelion gathered his thoughts briefly.
"Unlike elves, humans have a culture of contracting with magical beasts."
"That's a culture?"
"It started with the founding king of the Empire contracting a dragon. Became a status symbol; any noble with mana followed suit."
Kaelion wet his throat with water and continued.
"But contracting a higher-vessel being has backlash. Common one is mental corruption—the beast's vessel overwhelms the contractor's mind."
Riandrea set her cup down.
"Even in the Empire, big incidents happen from it. A few years back, a noble contracted something too strong and got mentally overtaken."
"Can't do it with stronger ones?"
"Usually. But the Life Water I mentioned mitigates backlash from vessel gaps."
"Ah."
So that's what Michael meant.
"Michael said it'd be tough to contract me."
Kaelion pondered briefly.
"...Indeed. The vessel gap's too vast—even dumping all the palace's Life Water might barely cover it."
"Elves don't do contracts?"
"No such culture."
"What about you, Kaelion? Wanna contract with me?"
Kaelion chuckled softly.
"...I'll pass."
Riandrea set her cup down, bowing her head slightly—suppressing a smile.
We ate more before I stood. Kaelion rose too.
"Safe travels."
"Yeah."
As I turned, Riandrea spoke softly.
"...Will you come again?"
"Probably."
Riandrea dipped her head slightly. I exited the hall to the balcony. Releasing polymorph, my wings spread, launching me skyward. I set course for the World Tree's peak.